Bag



July 29, 1958 A. FINKE 2,845,214

`BAG

Filed July 14, 1954' 3 Sheets-Shale?I 1 July 29, 1958 A, FlNKE 2,845,214

Hmm F wfg A. FINKE July 29, 1958 BAGA Filed Juiy 14, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. FIR/vo Flr/NE 'United States lfatenty BAG Arno Finke, Lengerich, Germany, assignor to Firma Windmller & Hlscher, Lengerich, Germany Application July 14, 1954, Serial No. 443,391

Claims priority, application Germany `luly 16, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-.-62.5)

This invention relates to b ags and to the manufacture thereof.

' More particularly, this invention relates to bags or other containers made of la flexible material having a filling conduit at the top thereof.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a bag which is extremely easy to fill.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bag using a minimum amount of material and aording a maximum volume.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a bag having a rectangular block shape so that a number of such bags can be eiciently stored with a minimum of space requirement.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bag having a predetermined volume so as to make it possible to till such bag with a known amount of goods.

Alt is also among the objects of this invention to provide a bag having a neat and attractive external appearance.

It is also one of the objects of this invention to pro; vide a bag having a spout or conduit at one end thereof whereby the bag may be easily filled and emptied. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bag which can be manufactured very easily and at very low cost.

It is also within the objects of this invention to manufacture a bag out of a single sheet of ilexible material, such as paper, and to fold the sheet in such a manner as to form a closed container. This single sheet may also consist of two or three superposed 'layers of flexible material which are attached to Ieach other e. g. by spots ofA an adhesive.

Also included among the objects of this invention is the manufacture of a bag of flexible material by folding.

the material in such a manner so :as to form a closed container, having a spout or conduit, also made of a flexible material, .which is folded with the sheet of flexible material out of which the bag is made.

This invention likewise contemplates the provision of a machine or apparatus for manufacturing a bag.

Wit-h the vabove objects in view, the present invention mainly consists of a bag of a flexible material having first and second opposite elongated Wall portiera the iirst wall portion being folded upon itself at an end portion thereof and the end Portieri seing bent beek unen itself- Tiie second wall pertien is .ielded at es es@ perrier.l thereef toward the .rst well Perrier and overlaps esti is joined te the beekwardly bent part ef the 'end Portieri ef theirst wall Portieri Third and fourth Opposite Well portions respectively extend betweeny and iein the iirsf and second wall portions, each of the third andfourth.

wall portions having a free end portion in the form of a iiap covering inner face portions o f the `first and second wall perties- The end Portions f each iiap ere .respectively ,formed by the first and seeend Wall Portions? the end portions of each 4flap being folded backwardly ice upon the same together with the end portion of said second wall portion and the backwardly bent part of the end portion of the first wall portions. The backwardly 'bent end portion of only one of the iiaps is joined to such one flap -to close the bag at the side where such one flap is located, whereby the other of such flaps defines a filling opening for the bag.

The present invention also consists of a method or process of making a bag having a filling opening, which process comprises the steps of folding each of a pair of opposite first and second wall portions of a tubular iiexible sheet material inwardly upon itself so as to pro.- vide each of the irst wall portions with an intermediate fold covered yby a pair of third and fourth opposite wall portions of the sheet material. The thus folded sheet material is then closed at one end thereof and the third wall portion is folded backwardly upon itself at the oppof lsite end of the sheet material through a distance sufficient to unfold the first and second wall portions at the opposite end of the sheet material and to fold the corners of the third and fourth Wall portions backwandly upon them? selves so as to form a pair of flaps having free edges directed toward each other. The free end of the third wall portion is then folded upon itself and toward the fourth wall portion, and the free end of the fourth Wall por-tion is then folded over the thus folded free end of the third wall portion. The free ends of the third and feurth wall portions are joined together so that the flaps Qi each forms a passage into the interior of the bag. Qne ofthe passages is then closed so ythat the other pas.- sage forms a filling opening for the bag.

An elongated strip of flexible material may be joined te the outer face of the flap which is not closed before the ilap is formed so that when the flap is formed into a passage, the strip Will line such passage.

The novel feature-s which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as te its construction and its method of operation, together 'Withvadditional objects and advantages thereof, will he best understood from the following description of speciii embodiments when read in connection with the aceompanying drawings, in which:

Figl is a plan view of a bag according to the inven.- tion at that stage of manufacture at which the side Walls y have been folded inwardly, the end opposite to the end spese@ .a diste adapted to receive the filler conduit means has been closed, and the end adapted to receive the filler conduit means is open;

Fia 2. .is similar te Fia. l, with the iler eendilt ,means ieined te the end .adapted te receive the seme;

=Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2, the end adapted to receive the iillereenduit means, teeether with the filler eetiflut means, seing assed;

Fig.. 4 is similar te Fie.. .3.. with. eever bees. ieined te beth ends;

.Fis.-Y 5 is. La mediiisetien ei .Fia 1;

.Fie- .6 is e vpart ef the steek, showing perferetiens used .in the .manufacture er the beg .illustrated in Fig. and

Fia 7 .is a sehen-rede. side view ef a meehirie fer featuring the ses .illustrated in Figs- 1` threush :Referring new te Fiee l ef the drawing, there. is siret/.1i alsa 'view ef .e beg made ef a sheet ef exible mate. al, sseli es pepe...- The bee is shown in s partly felder! eesf dfieli, the side' walls having been telde@ reward each ether se es teeverlap The .beg has e restaneulereressf section, the length of which cross-section is equal lto the eistess'e L andthe width ef which is equal fe 2.a .As shew?! is ,Fi 1., the center feld ef. eeleh side Well is use .e frein the edges ef the Paper bag when sheets hevige the latterishin vits folded condition. The'le'ft end of the paper bag, as viewed in Fig. 1, is closed in a manner well known in the art and the right end of the bag is adapted to be closed so as to include a passage for filling and emptying the bag, so that the height of the bag, when the same is expanded, will be equal to h.

In Fig. 1, the right end of the bag is shown after the upper side wall has been folded upon itself so as to form the flaps 5 and 6. Line 2 represents the line about which the upper side wall is folded.

The distance between the folding line 2 and the edge 4 is such that the free edges of the flaps which are inwardly spaced from the sides of the bag will be spaced from the sides of the bag a distance at least as great as the distance a between the intermediate folds and the sides of the bag, when the latter is collapsed, but this distance should exceed the distance a by only a comparatively small amount so as to leave a relatively large distance b between the free edges of the flaps in order to provide a filling and emptying passage of sufficient size.

Flap 6 is cut along part of its folds so as to form a substantial rectangular flap portion bounded by the edges S, 8 and 10. The corner portions of the ap having edges 7 and 9 are then folded outwardly along the fold of the flap so as to form an end arrangement or closure assembly as is shown in Fig. l. Strips of paste, glue or other suitable adhesive are then applied onto the flap 5.

Fig. 2 shows a flexible strip 13 which has been applied to the flap 5 and is joined thereto by virtue of the adhesive strips 11 and 12. The strip 13 is substantially even with the edge 3 and the inner edge of the flap 5 but extends a comparatively short distance beyond the edges 4 and 17. Strips or areas of adhesive 18, 19 and are then applied to the flap 6, the bottom flap portions 15 and 16 and to the flexible strip 13, as is illustrated in Fig. 2. Y

The bottom flaps, together with flexible strip 13, are then folded along the lines m and n, the ap portion 16 being folded first and the flap portion 15 folded on top of it.

Fig. 3 shows the end thusv folded. The bottom flap portions 15 and 16 overlap each other by a distance c and the sides of the flexible strip 13 overlap each other by a distance d. As a result of the strips or areas of adhesive being applied to the ap 6, bottom ap portions 15 and 16 and the flexible strip 13, the right-hand end of the bag, as viewed in Fig. 4, will be completely closed with the exception of a conduit means or passage formed within the interior of the flexible strip 13. The conduit means so formed by this strip is the only passage for lling and emptying the bag.

Finally, areas of adhesive 22 and 23 may be applied to the ends, as shown in Fig. 3, so that end sheets or cover sheets 24 and 25 may be joined thereto. Adhesive area 22 does not reach the edge 17, and the respective part of the cover sheet 24 is consequently not joined to the bottom of the bag.

The flap arrangement of Fig. l which includes the rectangular flap portion 8, 8' and 10 and the corner portions having the edges 7 and 9 forms a strong bottom assembly having a sufficient area so as to allow excellent sealing of that flap. Since the flexible strip 13 is applied to the ap 5, it is unnecessary to cut and partly unfold that ap in the manner that flap 6 is cut and partly unfolded.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the end or bottom arrangement shown in Fig. 1, in that the inside free edge of the ap 5 has a cutout portion or recess 28. This cutout portion, while allowing a large passage e between the inlet conduit means and the interior of the bag, makes it possible to increase the width of the flaps 5 and 6 so that the distance b', as shown in Fig. 5, will be less than the distance b shown in Fig. 1. In this manner, the bottom flap portions can be lengthened so that when the end is folded together, the overlapping distance of the bottom flap portions will be greater than the distance c shown in Fig. 3, A flexible strip adapted to be used in conjunction with the modification illustrated in Fig. 5 will likewise have a cutout portion corresponding to the cutout 28.

According to the present invention, a process for making a bag of the character described comprises the steps of forming a tubular casing or container of a exible sheet material and folding each of a pair of opposite first and second wall portions inwardly upon itself so as to provide each of the first and second wall portions with an intermediate fold covered by a pair of third and fourth opposite wall portions of the tubular container. The thus folded sheet material is closed at the end 1 in a manner well known in the art.

The upwardmost third wall portion having the free edge 4 is then folded backwardly upon itself at the end opposite to the closed end through a distance sufficient to unfold the first and second wall portions at such opposite end of the tubular casing. In this manner the corners of the third and fourth wall portions are folded backwardly upon themselves to form the flaps 5 and 6 which have free edges directed toward each other.

One of the flaps is cut along its folds so as to form the substantially rectangular flap portion bounded by the edges 8, 8 and 10 and corner portions bounded by the edges 3, 7 and 4, 9 respectively. Then cuts are produced in the tubular casing before folding backwardly upon itself the free edge 4 whilst the edges 3 and 4 are still in registration with each other.

Suitable adhesive means are then applied to the flap 5 and flexible strip 13 joined thereto.

The free end of the third wall portion, together with the flexible strip 13 is then folded upon itself and toward the fourth wall portion, after which the free end of the fourth wall portion is folded over the thus folded free end of the third wall portion. Suitable adhesive means are applied to the flexible strip and to the free ends of the third and wall portions so that when the free end of the fourth wall portion is bent over the free end of the third wall portion, a closed and sealed end is formed, leaving only a passage, lined by the strip 13, for providing an inlet and outlet for the bag.

Adhesive is then applied to both ends and cover or end sheets are then joined thereto.

lt will be understood that the bag thus formed has, when in its expanded, or operative, condition a blocklike configuration. The strip 13 lines the one passage means for filling and emptying the bag. The strip 13 may be of such width so as to extend beyond the edge 17 so as to form a spout for a nozzle 21 (Fig. 3) which may be of any desired length. It will be understoood that the nozzle or spout 21 may be folded backwardly upon itself and pivoted under the unjoined part of the cover sheet and sealed therewith so as to seal the bag entirely.

It will be further understood that it is possible to manufacture a bag according to the present invention either by first making the end which includes the passage or conduit means and by then closing the opposite end, or by first closing one end completely and then making the end which includes the passage or conduit means.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side view of a machine capable of producing the paper bags illustrating the Figs. l to 5. The material, such as paper, which is to be formed into the bag follows the path 30 shown in dotted lines throughout Fig. 7. The material is stored on the magazine roll 31 and passes over a resiliently mounted guide roller 32 to the driving rollers 33 and 34. As the material passes over the roller 34 a continuous strip of adhesive is applied thereto by means of the roller 36, the periphery of which passes through a container of paste, glue or other suitable adhesive 35.

The material 30 then passes between two rollers 37 and 38. The roller 38 has at its periphery perforating or notching means so as to perforate along a line 29 (see Fig. 6) the material passing through the machine. The

line 29 may have an irregularity 28 therein which corresponds to the recess 28 of Fig. 5. The roller 37 may be covered with rubber so as to constitute a platen cooperating with the roller 38.

The material then passes over the guide roller 39 to the forming. plate 40 in which the material is folded into tubular configuration, the sides being joined alongy the continuous strip of adhesive applied by the roller 36. The forming plate 40, the details of which are not shown, includes an upper and lower plate between which rst and second opposite wall portions are inwardly folded upon each other by means of suitable rails or guide rollers. The rotating knives 41 and 42 cooperate with suit- Yable cutouts in the forming plate 40 and partly cut the folds of the ap 6 so as to form the substantially rectangular flap portion bounded by the edges 8, 8 and 10.

The thus folded tubular material passes between the driving rollers 43 and 44 and thence passes between the roller 45 which cooperates with a roller segment 46. The peripheral speed of the roller 45 and the rollersegment 46 is greater than that of the rollers 43 and 44 and the tubular work piece will be gripped by the roller segment and torn along the perforations 29. From this point on, each individual tubular section moves through the machine at the higher speed, i. e., a speed corresponding to that of the peripheral speed of the rollers 45 and 46.

lf the perforating arrangement of roller 37 and 38 is omitted, the roller 45 and roller segment 46 may be replaced by suitable cutting means so as to cut the continuous tubular material into individual tubular sections.

The slotting arrangement including rollers 47 and 48 folds one wall of the tubular section along the line 2, seen in Fig. 1. The tubular sections then pass through the bottom opening roller 49 and pass thence to the bottom folding roller 50. As each section passes between the roller 50 and the plate 51 the leading end is folded 'so as to assume the configuration illustrated in Fig. l or 5. Each section then passes through an adhesive applicator 52, 53, 54 for applying the strips of adhesive 11 and 12, shown in Figs. l and 5.

A stack of flexible passage lining strips 13 is-shown at 55. Individual strips are then gripped by the gripping roller 56, moved thereby to the roller 57 and are then applied to the individual sections after the sections have been provided with the adhesive strips 11' and 12. The sections and strips 13 then pass through another adhesive applicator 58, 59, 60 for applying the strips or areas of adhesive 18, 19 and 20 (see Fig. 2).

The bottom ilap portions are then folded in the usual manner by means of the folding knives 61 and 62, the floating reversing rod 63 and the xedly mounted reversing rod 64.

The sections then pass onto the roller 65 and through the pressing rollers 66 and 67, which firmly press together the ap portions of the newly formed end.

The sections are then gripped by the gripping cylinder 69 and moved thereby in the direction of the arrow 68. Conveyor disks 70 are mounted on both sides of the gripping cylinder 69 and rotate in the direction indicated by arrow 71. Roller 72 is mounted on a pivoted lever 73 and is adapted to be moved against the underside of the disk 70. When the gripping cylinder moves a section between the conveyor disks 70 and the roller 72, the gripping means of the gripping cylinder release the section and the roller 72 is moved toward the disks 70. Consequently, the tubular sections change their direction of movement and begin to travel leftwardly on the conveyor 74, as viewed in Fig'. 7.

It will be understood that in this manner the movement of the tubular lsections has been reversed and that the open ends of the sections now precede the closed ends.

The conveyor 74 is wound about the rollers 75 and 76 and moves the tubular sections, in conjunction with the upper conveyor 77, at a higher speed toward a rotating plate 78. The peripheral speed of the rotating plate first-formed end, and a bottom of known construction is formed by means of the bottom folding roller 85, the bottom opening roller 86, the plate 87, the adhesive applicator 88, 89, 90, the folding knives 91 and 92, the floating reversing rod 93 and a fixedly mounted reversing rod 94. The functions of these elements are similar to the functions of the corresponding elements cooperating with the bottom folding roller 50.

The end sheets or cover sheets 24 and 25 are then applied to the tubular sections. A sucking roller 97 removes one sheet from a stack and `a sucking roller 98 removes one sheet from a stack 96. Individual sheets 24 and 25 then pass onto the intermediate roller 99 which passes the sheets to the roller 100. The adhesive applicator `arrangement 101, 102, 103, 104 applies 'adhesive tothe end sheets. Since the configuration of the Iadhesive areas which are to be applied to the two ends of one of the tubular sections differ, the conguration of the applicator segments 103 and 104 are different so as` to apply v.adhesive areas having such different configurations. The end sheets are then joined -to the bottoms of the tubular sections. The position of the intermediate roller 99, the position of the roller 100, and the angular position of the applicator segments 103 and 104 are adjustable so -that the machine is adapted to be used in the production of bags having different lengths or heights.

The finished bags then pass over the roller 105 and pass through the pressing rollers 106 and 107 which firm- 1y press together the flap portions of the newly formed bottom assembly.

The finished product then passes over the roller 108 and is stored in a stack 110 4on a stacking table 109.

-It will be understood, that the bag according to the present invention may be produced by the machine illustrated in Fig. 7, the machine forming tubular sections having folded side walls, which sections are cut from a continuous strip. The machine fashions the leading end of a moving tubular section so as to form a cross-shaped end arrangement, and joins a conduit or passage lining strip to such end. The direction of travel of the tubular section is then reversed and a second cross-shaped end assembly is fashioned from the then-leading end. End sheets or cover sheets are then applied to both ends.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful `application in other types of bags dilfering from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as `embodied in bags having a conduit or passage at one end thereof, -it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the 'gist of the present invention that others can be .applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invenvtion and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

4l. A Vcontainer comprising, in combination, a tubular casing of rectangular cross-sectional configuration and made `of a material capable of being folded, said casing being formed at opposite ends thereof, respectively, with a pair of closure assemblies each being substantailly normal to the longitudinal axis of said casing and each being constituted by one of two folded portions of said casing located at said opposite ends thereof, respectively, one of said folded portions including a fold having an inner edge spaced from said longitudinal axis of said casing; conduit means for placing the interior of said casing in communication with the lexterior thereof, said conduit means also being made of a material capable of being folded and being associated with said one folded portion of said casing in such manner as to form a passage through that closure assembly which is constituted by said one folded portion, said conduit means having inner and outer end portions, said inner end portion opening within said casing and being spaced from said axis thereof a distance at least as great as the distance which said inner edge of said one folded portion is spaced from said axis and said outer end portion extending outwardly beyond said casing and being capable of being folded back upon itself in such. a manner that said outer end portion of said conduit means is substantially flush with said last-mentioned closure assembly; and securing means for securing said outer end portion of said conduit means to said last-mentioned closure assembly when the former is folded back upon itself and is substantially flush with said last-mentioned closure assembly.

2. A container comprising, in combination, a tubular casing of rectangular cross-sectional configuration and made of a material capable of being folded, said casing being formed at opposite ends thereof, respectively, with a pair of closure assemblies each being substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said casing and each being constituted by one of two folded portions of said casing located at said opposite ends thereof, respectively, one of said folded portions including a fold having an inner edge spaced from said longitudinal axis of said casing; conduit means for placing the interior of said casing in communication with the exterior thereof, said conduit means also being made of ra material capable of -being folded and being associated with said one folded portion of said casing in such manner as to form a passage through that closure assembly which is constituted by said one folded portion, said conduit means having inner and outer end portions, said inner end portion opening within said casing and being spaced from said axis thereof a distance at least as great as the distance which said inner edge of said one folded portion is spaced from said axis and said outer end portion extending outwardly beyond said casing and being capable of being folded back upon itself in such a manner that said outer end portion of said conduit means is substantially iiush with said last-mentioned closure assembly; and securing means for securing said outer end portion of said conduit means to said last-mentioned closure assembly when the former is folded back upon itself and is substantially flush with said last-mentioned closure assembly, said securing means being constituted by a cover sheet covering said last-mentioned closure assembly.

3. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein said cover sheet is throughout substantially its entire area firmly secured to said last-mentioned closure assembly but has an unsecured edge portion in the region of that portion of said casing at which said outer end portion of said conduit means extends beyond said casing so that said outer end portion of said conduit means may be bent back upon itself and be placed substantially liush with said last-mentioned closure assembly and may thereupon be covered by said unsecured edge portion of said cover sheet.

4. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein said conduit means is formed at a portion thereof directed away from the interiol of said casing with a longitudinal seam constituted by overlapping conduit portions, said overlapping conduit portions being pasted together.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,444,118 Hartman et al. Feb. 6, 1923 1,782,738 Martin Nov. 25, 1930 1,993,377 McNulty Mar. 5, 1935 2,201,675 Vogel-Jorgensen May 21, 1940 2,275,505 Crawford et al Mar. l0, 1942 2,296,146 Crawford Sept. l5, 1942 2,570,047 Burroughs Oct. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 882,237 -France Feb. 22, 1943 981,525 France Ian. 17, 1951 

